It is definitively his bullet.
In the uncertain aftermath of violence, one of the most corrosive doubts is whether those sworn to protect may have harmed their own. Federal prosecutors have now closed that question surrounding the April 25 attack on the White House Correspondents' dinner, confirming through forensic analysis that buckshot from suspect Cole Tomas Allen's shotgun — not a colleague's weapon — struck the Secret Service agent who fell that night. The finding restores a measure of clarity to a chaotic event, even as the deeper questions of motive and consequence await resolution in court.
- A Secret Service agent was struck during a violent breach of a high-profile Washington gala, leaving investigators and the public uncertain for weeks whether the wound came from the attacker or from officers responding to the threat.
- The ambiguity of friendly fire — one of the most destabilizing possibilities in any law enforcement incident — cast a shadow over the case and the conduct of those who intervened.
- Forensic analysts spent months examining a single buckshot pellet found intertwined with the fibers of the agent's protective vest, ultimately tracing it definitively to Allen's Mossberg pump-action shotgun.
- US Attorney Jeanine Pirro publicly confirmed the finding, declaring 'it is definitively his bullet' and removing any doubt about the source of the agent's injury.
- Allen, 31, now faces attempted assassination charges that carry up to life in prison, with trial proceedings underway and the physical and video evidence forming the backbone of the prosecution's case.
For weeks after the April 25 attack on the White House Correspondents' dinner, a critical question remained unresolved: when a Secret Service agent was struck during the chaos, had the shot come from the suspect or from officers attempting to stop him? On Monday, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro provided a definitive answer — forensic analysis had traced the buckshot embedded in the agent's vest directly to Cole Tomas Allen's Mossberg pump-action shotgun. There was no friendly fire.
Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, had forced his way into the Washington hotel ballroom that evening carrying firearms and knives, moving through security with a long gun toward a room filled with journalists and White House officials. A Secret Service agent was struck during the assault and survived, but the origin of the wound remained unclear until Pirro's announcement on CNN's State of the Union. She described the forensic finding precisely: a pellet from Allen's shotgun had become physically intertwined with the fibers of the agent's bullet-resistant vest.
Allen remains in custody facing charges of attempted assassination of the president, along with two firearms counts including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence — offenses that together carry the possibility of life imprisonment. He was injured during the attack but was not shot. His attorneys this week filed documents indicating he had been removed from suicide watch.
The forensic conclusion, supported by video footage released by authorities showing the moment of the breach, allows prosecutors to present a clear and physical account of the attack. The buckshot pellet lodged in the vest fibers became the tangible proof that had eluded observers in the immediate, chaotic aftermath — closing one chapter of the investigation while the trial ahead remains open.
For weeks, a single question hung over the attack at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner: when a Secret Service agent was struck during the chaos on April 25, did the bullet come from the suspect's gun or from the officers trying to stop him? On Monday, the federal prosecutor overseeing the case provided a definitive answer. Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, announced that forensic analysis had traced the buckshot embedded in the agent's protective vest directly to Cole Tomas Allen's Mossberg pump-action shotgun. There was no friendly fire. The wound came from the man charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, forced his way into the Washington hotel ballroom carrying firearms and knives on the evening of April 25. He moved through security with a long gun, heading toward a room filled with journalists, White House officials, and other guests. During the assault, a Secret Service agent was hit. The officer survived, but the identity of the shooter remained unclear until Pirro's announcement. Speaking to CNN's State of the Union program, she described the forensic finding with precision: a pellet from Allen's shotgun had become intertwined with the fibers of the agent's bullet-resistant vest. "It is definitively his bullet," she said.
The confirmation closes one chapter of the investigation while the larger case moves forward. Allen remains in custody pending trial on charges of attempted assassination of the president, along with two additional firearms counts including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. If convicted on the assassination charge alone, he faces up to life in prison. He was injured during the attack but was not shot. The officer he struck survived his injuries.
Allen's background offers little obvious explanation for the attack. He worked part-time as a tutor for a test preparation company and spent time as an amateur video game developer. His attorneys filed court documents this week indicating he had been removed from suicide watch, and they sought to formally withdraw a motion that had sought to keep him under such supervision. The legal proceedings continue as prosecutors build their case and the defense prepares its response.
The forensic evidence Pirro presented represents months of careful analysis by federal investigators. Video footage released by authorities on Friday showed the moment Allen attempted to breach the gala with his weapons and blades. That visual record, combined with the physical evidence extracted from the agent's vest, has allowed prosecutors to construct a clear timeline of the attack and its consequences. The buckshot pellet embedded in the vest fibers became the physical proof that had eluded observers in the immediate aftermath of the violence.
Notable Quotes
A pellet from the buckshot from the defendant's Mossberg pump-action shotgun was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the Secret Service officer. It is definitively his bullet.— Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for the District of Columbia, on CNN's State of the Union
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
How certain can they be that the buckshot came from Allen's specific gun and not just any Mossberg shotgun?
The forensic work goes beyond ballistics matching. They found an actual pellet from the buckshot embedded in the fibers of the vest itself. That's physical evidence you can hold and examine. When they traced it to Allen's weapon, they weren't guessing.
Why did it take weeks to figure this out?
Forensic analysis isn't instantaneous. They had to recover the pellet, preserve it, test it, compare it to the weapon, document everything for court. In a case this serious—attempted assassination of a president—they can't afford to be wrong.
The agent survived. Does that change the legal calculus for Allen?
Not really. He's still charged with attempted assassination. The fact that the officer lived doesn't erase what Allen tried to do or what he actually accomplished. The injury is evidence of the attempt.
What strikes you about Allen's background—the tutor, the game developer?
It's the ordinariness of it. There's no obvious radicalization story, no manifesto, no clear grievance that jumps out. That's sometimes more unsettling than the opposite. It suggests we still don't fully understand what drove him.
Why remove him from suicide watch now?
His attorneys are saying he's stabilized. Whether that's genuine improvement or a legal strategy to improve his conditions while awaiting trial—that's something the court will have to weigh. But it signals a shift in how they're managing his case.